Good article by Mark Hughes on the Motorsport Magazine website suggesting Honda might yet spring a surprise... although bar that, it sounds like Mercedes are once again 0.7 secs a lap ahead...
However, I must admit I enjoyed the 2 horse race last year (far more so that the Schumacher/Ferrari years), with Williams able to mix it occasionally. There was an extra degree of drama in that you could see that the Merc boys knew it was theirs to lose from early on rather than just going with the flow in the early races.
Don't think Nico should be underestimated, he certainly did better than I expected last year, but think HAM is a simply exceptional racer that will come good once again.
Hope to see Alonso and Button competitive by mid season too. Think the Ferrari testing times are a false dawn but certainly they are in a better place than this time last year.
And as for the debate with Prost and Senna: my family knew/knows both well and there were certainly times in practice (non-qually) sessions where Honda would turn up Senna's engine and turn down Prost/Mansell/Piquets and then spend the rest of the day telling him he was some sort of driving god. Never got it confirmed they did it in a race, but wouldn't surprise a bit...

They signed 3 pay drivers for only 2 available seats, Giedo van der Garde seems to have paid the least (although he also paid to be a reserve / test driver last year, and signed / paid first) so monisha kaltenborn (being a lawyer and all) thought she could screw him over, wise move trying to screw over a PAY driver, a guy who has the backing of some seriously rich people and companies,

Anyway Giedo van der Garde took Sauber to court here and won, sauber where told they HAD to give him the drive, so they waited till they all got to Oz and appealed to the Aussie courts, and lost, and appealed again, and lost all the while trying desperately to leave it till the last second just to screw van der Garde.

So now they have to tell one of there other 2 pay drivers (who have more backing, by even richer people) that they don't get a drive, or pay van der Garde a huge sum of money to bugger off, given he has a winning hand and holds all the cards.

How, just how did this woman get to be in charge of Sauber??? she is totally incompetent, why hasn't she been fired??? she's a business lawyer ffs and thinks she can screw over people with signed sealed and delivered contracts, the mind boggles.

oh and the swiss courts said sauber where not to do anything that would prevent him from racing, doh, it seems they have 'forgotton' to make him a seat, or bring the correct seatbelts for him etc etc, contempt of court anyone??

WHY DID THE CHICKEN CROSS THE ROAD?
Mika Hakkinen: Why did the chicken cross the road? (pause) that's tough question (pause) maybe (pause) maybe it's a question you have to ask the chicken.

David Coulthard: I was really surprised when the chicken swerved right in front of me and crossed the road. I was expecting it to walk straight along the pavement, but it just cut right across in front of me. I think we'll need a ruling from the FIA if chickens are allowed to do this.

Michael Schumacher: The chicken is allowed to move over, that is clearly within the rules. The chicken can make one move to defend his line. But it can't zig-zag backwards and forwards across the road. What it did was quite fair and within the rules.

Luca di Montezemolo: The chicken knew that it couldn't get to the other side of the road first, it had to wait for the rooster and let it through.

Ron Dennis: The objective of the poultry individual in this situation is to work towards the goal of a road crossing. We're comfortable that that can be achieved using only bi-ped motional forces. We would refuse to compromise until a safe chicken arrival scenario had been achieved.

Alain Prost: For sure the chicken crossed the road. But for me it was not as interesting as chickens crossing the road ten years ago.

Rubens Barrichello: I'd like to dedicate the chicken crossing the road to my great friend Ayrton Senna

Max Mosley: We have to find ways of slowing chickens down and making them safer. For that reason the FIA are changing the rules so that chickens crossing roads will be equipped with special chicken bodywork and neck supports.

Jacques Villeneuve: So what the f*** if the chicken gets run over. The chicken wanted to cross the road.

James Allen: Hey guys, you're not going to believe this, but the chicken's on a different strategy to the bantams.

Murray and Martin
Murray: And as the lights go out, it's GO GO GO for the duck as it dives towards...
Martin: It's a chicken Murray.
Murray: Yes, yes, it's a chicken, charging into the lead. I think it's got this race sewn up.
Martin: The chicken's stopped, Murray.
Murray: DISASTER for the chicken! This will throw the whole badger crossing championship wide open!

__________________
'The trust of the innocent is the liars most usefull tool.'
Stephen King.

Situation at sauber seems to be going from bad to worse, seems they won't fax the fia so they can approve his super licence, so directly in contempt of court. I wonder which website she bought her law degree from??

You can have a great "formula" weekend this weekend. Formula E have their next race in Miami on Saturday (quite interesting contrast to F1, qualifying and race on the same day and very competitive actually) and then the F1 race on Sunday. Formula E is on ITV 4 at 7pm UK time, highlights programme Sunday morning at 10am and BT Sport 2 also has coverage on Sunday at 3pm UK time.

You can have a great "formula" weekend this weekend. Formula E have their next race in Miami on Saturday (quite interesting contrast to F1, qualifying and race on the same day and very competitive actually) and then the F1 race on Sunday. Formula E is on ITV 4 at 7pm UK time, highlights programme Sunday morning at 10am and BT Sport 2 also has coverage on Sunday at 3pm UK time.

Doesn't look like he's going to get a drive this weekend. Sauber used both the other drivers for the practice sessions.

Prison looming for the boss if something isn't sorted out. Still, think it was a bit silly to postpone the case until Saturday. Makes it even more difficult for the judge if they can't agree something themselves.

he really has sauber by the balls, I read the bailiffs have been standing by at the circuit to take the cars and equipment, monisha has really shown herself to be totally incompetent the fact shes a lawyer defies belief (what online uni did she buy her law degree's from??) she's lost now 3 times in court, yet still tries to carry on with the bluff, he has no reason at all to come to an agreement (I also read his father in law is the money man and has tried to buy sauber, looks like he'll get the chance)

ETA looks like his FIL is one of the netherlands richest men, worth something like 1,3 billion, and he funds Van der Garde's racing, she really did try to screw with the wrong person.

he really has sauber by the balls, I read the bailiffs have been standing by at the circuit to take the cars and equipment, monisha has really shown herself to be totally incompetent the fact shes a lawyer defies belief (what online uni did she buy her law degree's from??) she's lost now 3 times in court, yet still tries to carry on with the bluff, he has no reason at all to come to an agreement (I also read his father in law is the money man and has tried to buy sauber, looks like he'll get the chance)

ETA looks like his FIL is one of the netherlands richest men, worth something like 1,3 billion, and he funds Van der Garde's racing, she really did try to screw with the wrong person.

It looks as if they will have to pay one of them off, probably Van der Garde as they haven't completed the paperwork for his licence. Other than that, they could try to convince him to be an expensive test driver

It does beggar belief somewhat. Lawyers are supposed to make sure you don't end up in situations like this, not initiate them. Peter Sauber must be furious with her. She might be a good CEO for Sauber, but she's making a hash of being team principal. What on earth was he thinking when he put her in charge? Just because she was instrumental in saving the team, doesn't mean she'd be any good at running it.

It looks as if they will have to pay one of them off, probably Van der Garde as they haven't completed the paperwork for his licence. Other than that, they could try to convince him to be an expensive test driver

if its true and his FIL is trying to buy the team (and sauber turned him down) then they have no reason to settle, hang sauber out to dry and buy it on the cheap. either way when you're family has over billion in the bank you don't need the cash. sauber really aren't in any position to haggle.

She really needs to realise that when you have pay drivers you are not the boss, he was (is) the customer, she works for him.